[Culturechat] Re: Culturechat digest, Vol 1 #24 - 8 msgs

[Vance Roy]

Hi Bob,

Good questions! The tax monies collected in CH are mostly kept in the 
local communities and cantons. There is a small direct Federal tax. On 
the other side of the coin, these local entities are responsible for a 
lot of things such as healthcare, road repair, social services, and 
social security and pension funds.

Land ownership is more complicated. There is private, community, 
Kantonal, and federal ownership. In the alps, most of the land is owned 
by the community and rented to farmers on a lottery type drawing. 
Private ownership is limited mostly to the lower areas. Because a lot of 
land in CH is vertical and not suited for much use, the cost of land is 
obscene by US standards.

This is a general idea not the gospel always, because each kanton is 
almost autonimous. Slowly, ever slowly, the federal authority is seeking 
to become more of the Santa Claus as in the USA.

On Sunday, March 24, 2002, at 02:03 AM, Bob Miller wrote:
>
> Sometime when you have a few minutes, I have another topic for your
> continuing lessons in Swiss civics.  Who owns the land a- in the cities 
> and
> villages, b- out in the countryside, c- in the high mountains?  And 
> another
> question- how are taxes charged to support the cantonal government and 
> the
> federal government?
>
Vance Roy	
> gigli.saw@planet.ch